A Daily Encounter reader writes, “Is it biblically correct for some ‘religious’ groups to refuse their ‘followers’ to be taken for medical attention at clinics/hospitals for help when they are sick? And is it right not to allow immunization of children against diseases like polio, measles, etc.? They claim that God’s Word in the Bible is against such? I think God’s word is being misused here.”

Dear Cheryl (name changed), you are correct in saying that God’s Word is being misused here. Unfortunately, there will always be some people who mean well but are sadly misguided. And there will always be religious fanatics who misinterpret God’s Word to twist it to say what they want it to say … and do so to control their followers. The Bible calls this legalism and being bewitched.²

Personally speaking, I believe it is very misleading and even cruel to deny anyone the medical attention they need. Even Paul said to Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach sake. And Paul himself had some affliction from which God never delivered him or never healed him; rather, God said, “My grace is sufficient for you.”³

I’m embarrassed to admit it, but my father went through a stage of religious fanaticism and refused to have my younger sister immunized. She died of diphtheria when she was only two-and-a-half years old.

In much younger days I taught a Sunday school class of ten-year-old boys. I loved these kids. We had some great times together. However, one of these boys was slowly going blind, but his parents believed God would heal him so never sought any kind of medical help. It was very sad to see this cruelty.

In later years a close friend of mine, when in his mid-40s, had cancer and went to a healing group who prayed for him after which they told him he was healed … so he never got the medical attention he desperately needed. Some months later he excitedly told me about his healing experience. In no time he was back in hospital. His body was riddled with cancer and it was too late then for medical help. He died within a few months.

True, sometimes God does heal people and sometimes he doesn’t. But thank God for medical help, for without it, many more of us would not be healed.

And by the way, Luke, an early follower of Jesus, writer of one of the four Gospels, and a missionary companion of Paul, was a physician.

To be continued ….

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please deliver me from religious legalism and fanaticism, help me to be realistic, and give me the wisdom needed to have a balanced view and understanding of your Word—and the good sense to apply it to my life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Timothy 5:23 (NIV).

2. See Galatians 3:1-5.

3. 2 Corinthians 12:8-10.

I remember reading the following story in Reader’s Digest about an independent trucker who was having difficulty finding his delivery location. “Take exit 20, turn right, and then take the second left,” were the instructions he was given.

He took the correct exit, turned right, then took the second left and ended up back on the highway.

He tried again. The same thing happened.

He called the company, who gave him some adjusted directions. His next two attempts put him back on the highway going the opposite direction.

However, he recalled having seen a police car parked not far from the exit. So on his fifth attempt, he parked his rig, walked over to the police car and asked the officer for help.

“Don’t worry,” said the officer, “just wait a while. Your trucks have been coming by all morning. All you need to do is follow the next one that gets off the highway.”

Do you ever feel like you are also going around in circles getting nowhere fast? I’ve certainly been there. I often kid that I wish God would have an e-mail address so when I’m confused or have difficulty “finding my way,” I could get God’s leading and direction a whole lot easier and faster.

Being a little more realistic, however, we know that God doesn’t make our decisions for us. If he did, he would be acting as a codependent. In so doing he would stop us from becoming responsible and growing up. However, when we trust our life and ways to God and seek his guidance, he has promised to give us wisdom and direction to help us make the right choices and find the right way.

Sometimes it takes a while to get God’s directions—but while we’re waiting there’s always something for us to learn.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, sometimes I’m confused and feel like I am going around in circles getting nowhere. Please help me to always seek your guidance and direction. In so doing I choose to trust you to lead me in the way I need to go. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV).

“Dear sir,” an ACTS website reader asks, “with so much talk nowadays about advance directives and living wills what does the Bible say? If you have any information on this from God’s point of view, please share it with me.”

First, let me say that I am not replying with legal advice, and if you are interested in having a living will, it is imperative that you contact a lawyer regarding the legal requirements pertaining to your state or country.

Second, as a reminder a living will is: “A legal document directing the extent to which an individual desires to receive artificial life support in the event of a terminal illness or injury. A living will may also name a third party to make medical decisions on one’s behalf.”²

Third, I don’t know of any passage in God’s Word directly relating to living wills. However, today’s Scripture reminds us that if we don’t provide for our loved ones we are worse than non-Christians. While this applies to an active living person, I’m sure the same principle applies should we be in a situation that would require artificial life-support to keep us alive.

Fourth, for those who are aware of the Terri Schiavo case, “the 41-year-old brain-damaged woman who became the centerpiece of a national right-to-die [or right-to-live] battle, died … nearly two weeks after doctors removed the feeding tube that had sustained her for more than a decade”³ one realizes that had Terri written a living will when she was in good health, this debacle would never have happened—plus she would have saved her loved ones from this painful dilemma of having to decide what she wanted.

Whether we have a living will or not is really up to each individual. The important thing to remember is that if we choose to have one, we need to have it legally ratified while we are in a healthy state of mind. It is also important to make sure our regular will is up to date to make sure we protect and take care of loved ones.

However, of far, far greater importance is that we have willed, while living, to settle matters with God, to make our peace with him, to receive his forgiveness for all our sins, and know that we know that our names are written in God’s book of life with the assurance of his gift of eternal life in heaven forever. For help, see “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: https://learning.actsweb.org/christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, regarding matters of life and death please give me the wisdom to know whether or not I should have a living will that will protect both myself and my loved ones should I ever be in a situation that would require the same. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Timothy 5:8 (NIV).

2. “Glossary of Terms,” Claremont Graduate University. http://www.cgu.edu/pages/1779.asp

3. CNN.com http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/03/31/schiavo/

“How do you resist a control freak?” a reader asks and continues, “My supervisor is very controlling, but she is still my supervisor. I’m not sure resistance in this case is good. Can you help me with this?”

Dear Cindy (name changed), at times at work we have to put up with a lot of nonsense unless we are willing to be fired. We go to work to do a good job and earn a living, not to have wonderful relationships (unfortunately). If your boss is reasonable, you might be able to discuss with her that you feel you are being over-controlled and that this makes it difficult for you to give of your best.

However, control freaks don’t usually appreciate being told this. They are very insecure people and overcompensate by controlling those around them.

At the same time, while it is important that we don’t repay evil with evil, it doesn’t mean that we allow people to mistreat or walk over us. If we are being mistreated or persecuted for our Christian faith, that is one thing and we need to depend on God’s grace to carry us through. But if we are being mistreated at work by a mean or nasty boss and can’t do anything about it, we need to either depend on God’s grace to help us cope graciously or look for another job.

Whatever you feel is best and right for you to do, the most important thing you can do immediately is to ask God every day to help you to be “as Jesus” to your supervisor and that she, seeing Jesus in you, will in time want him for herself. There’s no guarantee that this will happen, but if it does, it will not happen overnight and, with God’s help, will take a lot of patience and grace on your part.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, when I feel like I am being mistreated, help me to make sure that I am acting in a Christ-like manner, and to know when to confront, when to quit and get another job, or when to stay put and learn how to handle difficult people graciously. And please help me always to be ‘as Jesus’ to every life I touch. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Romans 12:17-18 (NIV).

As a school child I was taught the importance of keeping my word and my promises. “It is a mark of character,” my teacher emphasized. Unfortunately, the following story which I read some time ago, typifies far too many people in today’s “hang-loose” society and, pathetically, far too many business people.

According to the story, “There was a rich young man who became critically ill and was taken to the hospital. His condition worsened, and his doctor told him that he wasn’t sure if he’d recover, but that they would do all they could for him. The man was terrified and said to the doctor, ‘Please, doctor, do everything you can, I don’t want to die, I have so much to do yet in life, and if you can help me get better, I’ll even donate $10,000 to the fund for the new hospital.’ The young man happily began to improve and recovered, and a few weeks later was released and went home.

“Several months later he ran into the doctor who asked him how he was doing. The young man said, ‘Doc, I haven’t felt better any time in my life.’ The doctor said, ‘that’s great because I wanted to ask you about the money you said you would donate to the new hospital fund. You remember you said if you got well, you’d like to donate $10,000. We could really use that now.’ The young man said, ‘Man, if I said that, I must have been really sick.’”²

Keeping one’s word and his/her promises is indeed a mark of character. May it be said of you and me, “He is a man of his word,” and/or “If she says she’ll do it, you can count on her to do it.” And what about our promises to God? May we always keep them.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that I can always depend on your word, knowing that you always keep your promises. Help me to be a person of my word and always keep my promises. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Isaiah 55:11 (NIV).

2. Author and source unknown.

A Daily Encounter reader writes: “Please help me. I am being attacked by the devil. Everything that can go wrong is going wrong. I don’t know what to do. I am praying to the Lord daily but something is truly cursing me.”

Obviously I don’t know if this person is being attacked by the devil or not, because I don’t know enough about him/her or the circumstances he/she is facing. Yes, I believe strongly in the devil and yes he does attack Christians. I also believe in his demonic emissaries, but there isn’t a demon behind every tree, nor is there one under every stone.

There are several reasons besides the devil why so many things can go wrong all at once. First, we happen to live in a broken world and things go wrong for all of us at times. That’s par for the course. Learning to cope with, resolve, or live with these situations is all part of helping us to grow in maturity.

Second, certainly the devil is the originator of all evil and sin, but often things go wrong because of our poor choices. For instance, the title of a talk I have given is: “The Devil Didn’t Make Me Do It—I Can Foul Things Up All by Myself.” And I certainly can. Blaming the devil for my bad choices can be a handy excuse to hang on to if I don’t want to grow up and accept responsibility for my actions.

Third, when we have unresolved personal problems—such as unresolved anger, hurt, guilt, etc. —we can give the enemy a foothold. Once we bring these problems to the light and seek God’s help and wise counsel to resolve them, the devil loses his foothold.

Fourth, to defend against the enemy, as today’s Scripture advises, we need to put on the whole armor of God. Also, without being compulsive or over-dramatic we can quietly repeat: “Jesus Christ is Lord and Lord of my life.” That is one statement that Satan hates!

Finally, and not the least unimportant is that we need to ask God to reveal to us the reality of what is happening to us, remembering that often we don’t want to face reality because deep down we are afraid to face the real cause/s behind our problems.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, when the enemy assails and things go wrong, please show me what is of the devil and what is of myself—and give me the wisdom to know the difference. If from the enemy, help me to put on the whole armor of God, and if from myself, give me the courage to face the cause of my problems and get the help I need to overcome. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Ephesians 6:11, 14-18 (NKJV).

“On his radio broadcast Steve Brown explained that when a group of thoroughbred horses face attack from an outside enemy, they stand in a circle facing each other and with their back legs, kick out at the enemy. Donkeys, on the other hand, do just the opposite. They circle up, facing the enemy, and use their hind legs to kick each other! How often does the church [or families] do the identical thing—ignore the real enemy while attacking fellow believers.”²

An old cliché, but worth repeating, says, “The church is the only army that shoots its wounded.” This can be especially applicable to some divorced people in some church circles—even when the divorcee had absolutely no choice in the matter. Some churches have fought and split over their church music. Some denominations have split over insignificant doctrinal issues. I’ve seen bickering and backbiting destroy one church I know, and I know one pastor who was “crucified” through idle gossip started by a jealous, critical person. Most of those church members would never have dreamt of stealing this pastor’s transportation, which they would have considered to be a terrible sin, but thought nothing about stealing his reputation—and which did the greater harm?

Furthermore, when the name of someone we don’t like comes up, all we have to do is to say, “Oh him,” in a put-down-tone-of-voice, to sow doubt in someone’s mind about that person. And when we label people negatively, we negate them.

When we do these things, we are not acting like thoroughbred horses!

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, deliver me from the sin of gossip, slander, backbiting, and divisive behavior. Help me to become a ‘thoroughbred’ Christian and not like the other kind. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Ephesians 4:30-32 (NIV).

2. E. Glenn Wagner, Ph.D, The Awesome Power of Shared Beliefs (Word Publishing, 1995).

An English bishop once said, “Everywhere the Apostle Paul went there was either a revival or a revolution. Everywhere I go they serve tea.”

As you can well imagine, when I write on such topics as homosexuality and abortion, and seek to present a biblical view, I don’t get served tea. In fact, I get both bouquets and bricks. The bouquets are very nice and are appreciated. The bricks are usually well aimed and could hurt deeply if I took them personally, which I don’t. I also usually lose a number of subscribers at these times.

The reality is if as a preacher, teacher, or communicator I speak or write to please everybody, I will end up pleasing nobody and my life will never amount to anything worthwhile, and I certainly won’t please God.

If we want to make an impact on our society, Christians need to take a loving but firm stand against pornography, illicit sexuality, abortion for any reason (not including if the mother’s life is in serious danger), homosexuality, alcoholism, etc., and all the things God opposes, for they are ultimately self-destructive. Furthermore, let us not vote for politicians and leaders who don’t take a stand against such behaviors regardless of their political affinity. And let us not purchase the products of companies who support organizations or groups who promote the things God hates.

By way of interest, if we don’t hate unrighteousness, we don’t love righteousness. If we are to be true followers of Jesus, we need to hate the things God hates and love the things he loves. While he loves sinners, he hates all sin. As Christians we are called to impact and change our culture and not allow the culture to impact and change us.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me the desire to know your Word, the wisdom to understand your ways, and the courage to stand up for what you say, and not be conformed by today’s culture with its ever-increasing non-biblical, politically correct world view. Grant that my life will make a difference—no matter how small—so that I will not have lived in vain. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV).